Saunders to lead parade

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A longtime band director was named as the Grand Marshall for CMU’s 2000 Homecoming parade.
School of Music Professor Jack Saunders, who has led the Marching Chippewas during homecoming at CMU for about 40 years, will lead the entire procession this year.
“Grand Marshall is an honorary title, which is given to someone who has made great influence on campus and the community,” said Tony Voisin, Alumni Relations director.
“The theme for this year’s Homecoming is ‘A Journey Through Time’, so we are going to highlight the different generations and decades of CMU,” he said.
Voisin said CMU has existed for 12 decades and Saunders has been at CMU for six of those.
“Jack has made invaluable contributions to CMU over his many years as a student and a faculty member.”
Saunders, a 1960 graduate taught public school in the Muskegon area before returning to CMU in 1963 as a graduate assistant and assistant instructor. He earned a master of music degree in 1965 and became a full-time instructor in the same year at CMU, according to a press release.
Since that time, Saunders has led the Marching Chippewas at every Homecoming, missing only in 1991 due to a death in the family. He also taught French horn, served as coordinator of jazz studies, organized the annual Jazz Festival he started in 1973 and directed Jazz Lab I, which he formed in 1963 from a dance band called “The Swingin’ Chips.”
“Jack was the unanimous choice of the homecoming steering committee to serve as this year’s Grand Marshall, since he has been very much a part of the university and Homecoming for many years,” Voisin said.
He said the Homecoming celebration parade will begin Oct. 7, and Saunders will be honored at a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. that day in CMU’s Music Building.
Saunders said it is a great honor for him to get this recognition.
“I am extremely pleased to be involved with Homecoming for many years,” he said.
As the Grand Marshall, Saunders said he will preside over the parade and join the whole spectacular.
“I am looking forward to this year’s Homecoming,” he said.
Although he will retire in August after teaching music at CMU for 37 years, Saunders said he still plans to attend future homecoming events.
“I am a loyal CMU alumnus,” he said. “Even if I will never teach at CMU, I would make a special effort to come back to Homecoming simply because it is a good opportunity to reunite with old friends, catch up on the news and see what has changed among the campus and community,” he said.